Material positioning device



V. F. PIETRZAK 3,384,360

MATERIAL POSITIONING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 2l, 1968 Filed oct. 2o, 1965 May 2l 1968 v. F. PIETRZAK 3,384,360

MATERIAL POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet f2 /2.L Il.- 1/2 4GLP( INVENTOR V/'nccm Piaf/'zak 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 20, 1965 INVENTOR V/ncenl Pfaff-zak United States Patent O 3,384,360 MATERIAL PosrTIoNiNG nevica `Vincent F. Pietrzak, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 500,496 Claims. (Cl. z- 25) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates in general to improvements in material positioning devices and more particularly to an improved device for setting the large blocks which are used to line the hearth of a blast furnace.

Blast furnaces are large expensive structures which comprise a circular steel shell that is lined with refractories. These refractories are of varying sizes and materials, depending upon their location in the furnace. The stack, for instance, is lined with small reclay bricks which can be manually set, while the hear-th bottom is lined with large blocks, usually carbon, which must be positioned with mechanical equipment. All of the refractories used in a lining are of the best quality available. The utmost care is used in their placement, because the life of a furnace depends, to a large degree, upon its lining. When the occasion arises to rebuild a furnace and renew its lining, it is essential that the job be completed with speed, efficiency and care. Everything possible is done to reduce the time required for rebuilding a furnace, and large numbers of men and numerous labor saving devices are utilized to complete the work in as short a time as possible.

In the process of rebuilding or relining a blast furnace, heavy lifts within the furnace shell are usually made by means of a cable controlled from a hoist located outside the shell, at ground level. The cable from this hoist runs to the top of the furnace, passes over a large sheave,

"centered above'the bell mechanism, and then continues downwardly, in the longitudinal axis of the shell, to any desired elevation. Material to be placed any distance from the centerline of the furnace, as for example, adjacent the shell, must be pulled to the side by means of manpower or auxiliary hoists. For lifts that are to be made at the 'centerline of the furnace, or for light loads, this arrangement is satisfactory, but for large heavy loads that must 'be placed accurately and away from the centerline of the shell this arrangement is unsatisfactory. This manner of making lifts has been found to be particularly troublesome with respect to the placement of the large blocks, that are used for the hearth bottom. These blocks are machined to close tolerances and extreme care must be used to insure that they are not damaged while being moved and that they are set in place rapidly and accurately.

It is consequently one of the objects of this invention to provide a material positioning device which can be utilized, in confined quarters, to position heavy material away from the vertical axes in which it would normally move.

It is another object of this invention to provide a material postioning device which can be utilized in a blast furnace to rapidly position large and/or heavy objects away from the central axis of the furnace through which 3,384,360 Patented May 21, 1968 "ice the material would ordinarily travel when raised or lowered.

The foregoing objects can be attained by providing in conjunction with a central hoisting rig serving a tall structure, an auxiliary positioning device, mounted on track means intermediate the top and bottom of the structure, which will guide the cable of the hoisting rig away from its normal vertical axis so that heavy lifts can be easily and accurately positioned below the device, adjacent the structures perimeter.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of a blast furnace with the material positioning device of this invention mounted above the hearth.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the material positioning device shown in FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the positioning device taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial view showing only a portion of the positioning device of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan View taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevation view, partly in section, taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the elements shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a plan view taken on line 12-12 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 is an elevation view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. l2.

Referring to the drawings there is shown, in FIG. 1, the improved material positioning device 10, embodying the principles of the invention, mounted in the lower portion of a typical blast furnace 11. Furnace 11 has a steel shell 12 mounted on mantle 13 which is supported by columns 14. At the bottom of furnace 11 is hearth 15, and above it is stack 16. A steel jacket 17 surrounds hearth 15 and its sidewall 18 and bottom 19 `are lined with refractory. Small bricks 20 are used in sidewall 18 and large blocks 21 are used for hearth bottom 19. Generally, hearth bricks 20 and blocks 21 are made of carbon. Stack 16 is lined with small reclay bricks 22. Foundation 23 supports the entire structure.

In the present illustration, main lift cable 24 is shown cooperating with material positioning device 10 to position one of the large hearth bottom blocks 21a. Cable 24 is reeved over a sheave, not shown, centered at the top of the furnace 11, and continues to a hoist, located at ground level. Hook 25 is secured to the lower end of cable 24. Cable 24 is used to make any lifts required within the shell during the furnace rebuild. Material required for the rebuild is moved, in any suitable manner well known to those skilled in the art, into the interior of furnace 11 through temporary access opening 26.

Positioning device 10 moves on annular track 27 which is mounted, in any suitable manner, on mantle 13, above hearth 15. The embodiment of FIGS. 1-11 of the invention comprises a pair of wheel drive assemblies 28 and 29 connected by beam structure 30, Ia pair of idler wheel assemblies 31 and 32, joined to beam structure 30 by tie arms 33, and lift cable guide positioning apparatus 34.

Track 27 is made in sections, which can be easily assembled and disassembled, each comprising a horizontal 'piece 35 and, secured along the full length of its inner edge, a vertical plate 36.

each comprises base 37, shaft 38, having at its outer end driven sprocket 39 and wheel 40, reversible motor 41, having secured to its shaft drive sprocket 42, motor brackets 43, and guide roller 44. Driven sprocket 39 and wheel 40 are secured together by bolt 45 so as to move together as a unit. Driven sprocket 39 is connected to drive sprocket 42 by means of drive chain 46. Base 37 is fabricated of horizontal plate 48, vertical plate 49 and spaced parallel rib plates Si). Shaft 38 is joined to the underside of plate 48, and secured at one end of its upper surface are air motor brackets 43. Guide roller 44 is mounted adjacent the lower end of vertical plate 49.

Beam structure 30 is formed of similar sections 5l and 52, which are joined, at their inner ends, by splice plates 53. Sections 51 and 52 are each formed to spaced parallel channels 54 and 55, the anges of which face inwardly toward each other. Stiffener plates 56 and 57 are joined to the outer face of the vertical webs of channels 54 and 55 respectively and extend downwardly therefrom. The outer ends of sections 51 and 52 are joined, in any suitable manner, as by welding, to wheel drive assemblies 28 and 29, respectively, so that wheels 40 thereof are equally spaced from the centerline of the furnace.

Idler wheel assemblies 31 and 32 are identical, and each comprises base 58, shaft 59, having at its outer end idler wheel 66, and guide roller 6l. A pair of the arms 33 connect idler wheel assembly 31 to one side of beam structure 30 and a second similar pair of tie arms 33 connect idler wheel assembly 32 to the opposite side of the beam structure. Drive wheels 46, mounted on wheel drive assemblies 28 and 29 at opposite ends of beam 30, and idler wheels 60, mounted on idler wheel assemblies 31 and 32 each located at the outside ends of a pair of tie arms 33 on opposite sides of beam 30, are equidistant from the vertical centerline of positioning device 10. The longitudinal axis of drive wheel shafts 38 are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of idler wheel shafts 59.

Lift cable guide positioning apparatus 34 comprises cable guide 62, hoist 63, sheave 64 and cable 65. Cable guide 62 comprises side plates 66 and 67, and plates 68 and 69, having eyes 70 and 71 respectively, spaced notched guide rollers 72 and 73 mounted on bolts 74 and 75, respectively, which extend through side plates 66 and 67 and are locked in place by means of nuts 76 and 77.'Hoist 63 is mounted on base channel 78 which is secured to the top of plate 48 of wheel drive assembly 28, and sheave 64 is mounted in bracket 79 which is secured to the top of plate 48 of wheel drive assembly 29. Cable 65 has one end secured through eye 70 of plate 68, at one end of guide 62, makes several turns around the drum of hoist 63, which is secured to wheel drive assembly 28, extends the length of beam structure 30 and makes a half turn around sheave 64, secured to wheel drive assembly 29, and continues to the other end of guide 62 where it is secured through eye 71 of plate 69. Guide 62 is coniined to longitudinal movement in beam structure 36 by the upper and lower flanges and the webs of opposed spaced channels 54 and 55 of beam structure sections 51 and 52 as Shown in FIG. 1l. Hook is secured to the lower end of cable 24 after it is passed between guide rollers 72 and 73.

Reversible motor 41 and hoist 63 may be powered in any acceptable manner, but due tothe large volume of compressed air utilized in conjunction with a blast furnace rebuild, these units are preferably air operated. Air to power air motors 41 is delivered, from a source not shown, through air su'pply line 80, located on the outside of the furnace shell, flexible hosing 81 and swivel tting 82 to distributor line S3 which feeds air to both wheel drive motors 41. Air is delivered to hoist 63 from supply line 86 through flexible hose 84 to connection 85 located at one end or hoist 63. Control line 86 extends Wheeldrive assemblies 28 and 29 are identical and 4 between ,air motors 41 and Vpasses downwardly through control conduit 87 and into remote control unit 88 located below positioning device 10. Control line 89 leads from hoist 63 through control conduit 87 and into remote control unit 88.

In operation, eg. when used to set a large block in the hearth of a blast furnace, material positioning device lis rst positionedto pick up block 21a resting on a conveyor extending into the furnace through shell access opening 26, as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. To accomplish this, control unit y88 is operated to cause air to pass into both drive motors 41 and turn their respective drive sprockets 42, `thereby driving chains 46 which `cause driven Vsprockets 39 to rotate and turn drive wheels 40. Motors 41 are reversible so drive wheels 40` can move either clockwise or counterclockwise. In this manner device 10 is caused to rotate in a horizontal plane on track 27, until atleast a portion of beam structure 30 is above hearth block 21a. Control unit 88 is then operated to cause air to enter reversible hoist unit 63 and cause its drum to rotate, thereby moving guide 62 toward or away from hoist 63, as is desired. After guide `62 is positioned, by proper manipulation of control unit 88, exactly above the center of block 21a, block lift cables 90 are placed on hook 25 and Iblock 21a is raised by the upward movement of cable 24, which is controlled by a hoist located outside thefurnace. Device 10 is then rotated to position a portion of beam structure 30 above the center of the `hearth bottom location where block 21a is to be placed. Cable guide 62 is moved, by means of cable 65 and hoist 63, longitudinally of beam structure 30 until the center of guide 62 is above the center of the position where block 21a is to be placed. By this movement of the elements of positioning device 10, main lift cable 24, which passes between rollers 72 and 73 of guide 62, is pulled away from itspnormal vertical position in the furnace and toward the shell; and, while the upper portion of lift cable 24, between the top of the furnace and the top of positioning device 10 is at an angle to the vertical, the lower portion of cable 24 hangs vertically, exactly above the center of the location where block 21a is to be placed. Thereafter cable 24 is lowered and block 21a set exactly in place.

Setting the large hearth blocks of a blast furnace by means of the material positioning device of this invention has decreased the time required to place the hearth blocks and has eliminated, to a large extent, the damage and chipping of the block edges due to one block striking another.

Material positioning device 10 and track 27 are easily disassembled and removed from the shell after the hearth bottom blocks have been set.

While one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In the combination of a blast furnace having a stack and a hearth, a shell enclosing said stack and a mantle mounted on the shell above said hearth, and a lift cable extending into the furnace adjacent a fixed vertical axis thereof, the improvement comprising:

(a) an annular track mounted adjacent said mantle,

(b) a beam assembly movably mounted on said track means,

(c) drive means cooperatively associated with said beam assembly for rotating said assembly in a horizontal plane on said track means,

(d) lift cable guide means, cooperatively associated with said beam assembly, through which a portion of said lift cable vertically passes,

(e) lift cable guide positioning means, mounted on said beam assembly, for moving said cable guide longitudinally of said beam assembly whereby said portion of said lift cable passing through said guide means can be moved from adjacent the fixed vertical axis of said structure to a position spaced therefrom so that material at the lower end of said lift cable can be positioned at any desired location in the lower portion of said structure, beneath said annular track means.

2. The apparatus for positioning material as defined in claim 1 wherein said annular track comprises:

(a) a horizontal outer plate, and

(b) a vertical inner plate, and said beam assembly comprises:

(a) spaced beam means,

(-b) drive wheels, riding on said track means outer horizontal plate, mounted adjacent the ends of said beam assembly,

(c) drive wheel guide rollers, mounted adjacent the ends of said beam assembly and below the elevation of said drive wheels, contacting said track vertical inner plate,

(d) idler wheels, riding on said track outer horizontal plate, mounted intermediate the ends of said beam assembly,

(e) idler wheel guide rollers, mounted adjacent and below the elevation of said idler wheels, contacting said track vertical inner plate.

3. The apparatus for positioning material as defined in claim 2 wherein said lift cable guide positioning means comprises:

(a) hoist means mounted at one end of said beam assembly,

(-b) sheave means mounted at the opposite end of said beam assembly,

(c) positioning cable means cooperatively associated with said hoist means, said sheave means, and said lift cable guide means whereby movement of said positioning cable means moves said cable guide means and said portion of lift cable passing therethrough from adjacent the fixed vertical axis of said structure to a position spaced therefrom so that material at the lower end of said lift cable can be positioned at any desired location in the lower portion of said structure, beneath said track means.

4. Apparatus for positioning material in the lower portion of a structure into which vertically extends, adjacent a fixed vertical axis thereof, a lift cable comprising:

(a) track -means mounted intermediate the top and bottom of said structure,

(b) a beam assembly movably mounted on said track means, said beam assembly comprising spaced .beam

means, drive wheels, riding on said track means, mounted adjacent the ends of said beam means, and idler wheels, riding on said track means, spaced from said drive wheels and connected to said beam means, 5 (c) drive means cooperatively associated with said beam assembly for moving said assembly in a horizontal plane on said track means, (d) lift cable guide means, cooperatively associated with said beam assembly, through which a portion 10 of said lift cable vertically passes,

(e) lift cable guide positioning means, mounted on said beam assembly, for moving said cable guide longitudinally of said beam assembly whereby said portion of said lift cable passing through said guide means can be moved from adjacent the lixed vertical axis of said structure to a position spaced therefrom so that material at the lower end of said lift cable can be positioned at any desired location in the lower portion of said structure, beneath said track means.

5. The apparatus for positioning material as defined in claim 4 wherein said lift cable guide positioning means comprises:

(a) hoist means mounted at one end of said beam assembly,

(b) shea-ve means mounted at the opposite end of said beam assembly,

(c) positioning cable means cooperatively associated with said hoist means, said sheave mea-ns, and said lift cable guide means whereby movement of said positioning cable means moves said cable guide means and said portion of lift cable passing therethrough from adjacent the ixed vertical axis of said structure to a position spaced therefrom so that material at the lower end of said lift cable can be positioned at any desired location in the lower portion of said structure, beneath said track means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 1/ 1959 Italy.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

E. MAR, Assistant Examiner. 50 

